Starting from a study on the phenomena of crystal solvents, the present inventor has investigated host-guest complexes or inclusion complexes consisting of a specific compound (host compound) having specific molecules (guest compounds) trapped therein, and has found that, for example, 9,10-dihydroxy-9,10-dihydroanthracene, 2,5-bis(2,4-dimethylphenyl)hydroquinone, 2,5-bis(4-chlorophenyl)hydroquinone and the like have excellent inclusion power for alcohols [Chemistry Letters (The Chemical Society of Japan, 1983), pp. 1521-1524; Kagaku-Sochi (Japanese), September 1984, pp. 35-43].
On the other hand, the present inventor previously found that diacetylenediols take up various compounds to form stable crystalline complexes. For example, 1,1,6,6-tetraphenyl-hexa-2,4-diyne-1,6-diol and dimethylformamide form a 1:2 complex. On the basis of these facts, the present inventor has found the possibility that host compounds capable of taking up alcoholic compounds may be obtained by the molecular design of suitable compounds having amide linkages.